Armstrong House

The Mercer House, now known as the Mercer Williams House Museum, is a magnificent Italianate mansion on Bull Street in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia. Construction began in 1860 based on a design by architect John S. Norris, but it was interrupted by the American Civil War and not completed until around 1868 by cotton merchant John Randolph Wilder. Although the house was originally conceived for General Hugh Mercer, no one by that name ever lived there. The red brick facade stands out for its symmetrical design, with French windows, wrought-iron balconies, and a classic portico. Inside, the property once housed one of the city's richest private collections, curated by the restorer Jim Williams. Notable pieces included Fabergé objects, historic porcelain, and furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries, among them a desk folio made for Tsar Nicholas II and a carved mahogany bed from Grenada.

The building gained national fame through the events surrounding the 1981 killing of Danny Hansford, which took place in Jim Williams' study. The story was told in John Berendt's book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and in the film adaptation that followed. After Williams' death in 1990, his sister Dorothy Williams Kingery took over the house, which she owned until her death in 2023. Today the property is run as a museum, with the administration housed in the former carriage house at the rear of the grounds. You can tour the house on a limited basis and explore the carefully restored rooms on the ground floor, while the second floor, which holds the ballroom and bedrooms, is not part of the guided tours. The property also includes a courtyard and is separated from the public space by a wall and an iron railing.